A very well-balanced blend, full-flavored with medium strength. Interestingly enough, a Bergamot-like flavor, oftentimes associated with Ennerdale, weaves in and out of this interesting blend, albeit to a lesser degree. Sweet and spicy, with a spicy tingle delivered on the retrohale. Balance comes in from a high quality burley, at just the right level. Burns well with one initial light. I add two folded flakes (the equivalent of four halves - no rubbing) in my Neerup Classic straight poker- a perfect fit. Four star blend!

The Virginia is naturally sweet with some grass and earth notes. The perique is spicy with a little plum, but it's a minor player compared to the Kentucky. The dark fired Kentucky is nutty, and fairly spicy with a little molasses and wood. There's a light sweet topping of some kind that seems to have a little fruit in it as it tames the blend just a mite. This needs to be puffed no more than at a moderate rate or you risk tongue bite from the spice content. Burns a little slow with a consistent flavor and little moisture in the bowl, though it requires some relights.The nic-hit is a little closer to mild than it is to medium. Has a nice spicy after taste.

This is the tobacco that has probably given me most magic bowls of all the blends I have tried. Of all the VaPers Ive had before and after discovering this can not be compared to this favorite flake of mine.

The taste is somewhat "danish", but feels very natural. Both spicy, sweet and full all at once. Needs to pe puffed slowly, though.

My highest recommendation among VaPer flakes!

update: just realized that this may not even qualify as a VaPer, since it contains some Kentucky (which is a Burley, right?), but anyway it´s my favourite natural flake. It has some similarities in taste to F&T Cut Va Plug.

Most VA flakes don't have enough body for me and I end up smoking them hot and then not only is the flavor lost but they tend to bite.

This is the "natural" flake that I've been looking for. The burley adds roundness to this flake and the VA's are never dominated by it.

The perique in this blend has been added masterfully; it never dominates but peeks it's head up here and there during the bowl.

The smoke is cool, dry and consistently flavorful throughout the whole bowl.

My only beef with this blend is the packaging; One needs to remove it from the container and place it in jars to store. That's a minor complaint, I wish that Stokkebye would sell this in bulk. If you like the Deluxe Navy Flake but want something with more body and roundness then this delicious tobacco is what you've been looking for.

This is my favorite of the Olsen line. It has a lot of strength due to the Burley and a mellow and refined sweetness (natural) due to the Virginia leaf. The Perique is a backdrop and added with discretion. An overall delightful concoction with strength and flavor that satisfies.

Very old tin that I had lying around, and I can't recall where it came from or when I got it. I seem to find a few like that every once in awhile.

Small flakes, fairly dark in color, with a strong tin aroma, both fruity and pungent. Smoked at tin moisture, this was a cool-smoking fairly tasty mix, but dried to crispiness, this one shined. The flavor became more concise and yet more complex. This has enough perique so that the smoker will know it's there, but not so much as to overpower. Topnotch virginia tobaccos in this one and the Kentucky gives this both a sweet and savory taste while adding its usual body. As an old VaPer hand, it's not easy to find something unique but this one was. The topnote was mild and added to the overall sweetness but this would be considered a "straight" tobacco by most folks. Well worth a try if you can find it. I see below that this is still in production but I did a check and can't find it at my usual etailers at the moment.

Sweet, spicy and fulfilling. Great tobacco. Not one I'll smoke often but well worth the spin.

This is a nice VA flake with perique. I think it has more flavor than many other similar blends that I have tried, thus the third star. This really is a high quality tobacco, and I hope the rumors that I have heard that this is no longer made are not true.

This is a moist flake and must be dried out before smoking. It rubs out nicely, however, and burns easily if you get some of the moisture out. What is really surprising is how much flavor this tobacco has. It is sweet with a richness that sometimes is missing from this type of blend. Also, it is spicy, presumably from the perique, and it is nice to really notice that note in the blend.

A word of warning. This blend must be smoked with care and respect, or it will bite you hard. It can be smoked coolly, but you cannot huff and puff too vigorously if you want to avoid the sting. Overall, very nice.

I was eager to try 111 Flake. I like Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake and thought this would be right up my alley. My tin was purchased in November 2003 and opened in February this year.

111 has good, rich flavor, somewhat unrefined. This has the deeper flavors I was looking for, along with more body than LNF.

111 is actually more like Orlik's Dark Strong Kentucky, but 111 is less cased and without a noticeable aromatic agent added. I really don't see much of a comparison with the British VA/Burley flakes. The last third of the bowl is nicely powerful, and burns to a mottled, dry ash.

This has nipped me severly in all forms except whole flakes, even then it is still touchy. Adding some well-crumbled pieces on top of the flake before lighting proves the best performance for me. Packing this tight makes for a fight, leaving the tongue less than ol' right.

This is Paul Olsen's answer to Stokkebeye's Luxury Navy Flake. The appearance of the flake is almost, if not, identical. The aroma in the tin is slightly different, but definitely Danish. It rubs out and packs beautifully. The tobacco is very high quality, and burns evenly all the way to the dottle with very little tending. The Virginia and Kentucky components are there to offer a base for the main attraction: Beautiful, tangy, mouth-watering Perique. Here the Perique is slightly less intense than in Luxury Navy, but it is there aplenty. The Virginia and Kentucky have been enhanced with a light sweetener which offers no taste additive. This is a gorgeous smoke. For those who love Va./Perique flakes, but find Luxury Navy a bit too daunting, this could be just the ticket. I will be smoking a lot of this, both to enjoy its uniqueness and to offer a subtle contrast to one of my favorites, Luxury Navy Flake. Highly recommended for the Perique lover. Paddy.

Exquisite, spicy, yet mellow and toasty, this is a very good flake, faintly flavored, fresh and definitely appetizing. It belongs to those quality Danish almost-all-natural-Virginias (like Orlik Golden Sliced, Stokkebye?s Luxury Navy Flake or the Caledonian range) which, personally, I very much enjoy. They seemed to be processed in such a way that most of the Virginias natural sugars are muted and transformed into something whose flavor is closer to that of toasted oats or wheat grain than to dried raisins. It has an enticing, subtle and elegant aroma, and a wonderful taste.

Due to the Kentucky content in PO MOB 111, one would think this tobacco is akin to Golden Sliced, and indeed there are certain moments in which there is a strong resemblance (Orlik would still be milder and not as intense in depth). However, the presence of Pèrique?again, treated in such a way that it is not excessively piquant nor overwhelming?makes it closer to Stokkebye?s Luxury Navy Cut. This in fact could be described as a richer and creamier version of the said Navy Cut.

This a tobacco one can safely smoke indoors or outdoors, rich in flavor yet very predictable and easy to smoke. There is not much need of thinking things over with this type of blends. Easy to fill in and light up, they come with the right amount of moisture and they truly are a joy to smoke. Recommended as a regular Virginia smoke.

Paul Olsen-My Own Blend-111. I've never had a flake with such an impeccable moisture amount!

When I opened the tin I was blown away by the perfect quantity of water. I think it's possibly because the tin is larger than what's required thus giving the flakes some space to breathe as opposed to the usual style of packaging where they're squashed together tightly into a small tin.

There isn't anything spectacular to shout home about regarding the unlit aroma, it's a very standard Va-Per one.

I would say this has got to be the easiest flake to ignite that I've packed my pipe with. It only takes a short touch of the flame to give a steady burn that doesn't need much attention.

I adore the flavour of the smoke! There isn't any hiding from the fact this contains Perique. I find that out of the three tobaccos this ones got the strongest flavour. The smoke isn't too spicy but the Perique's very easy to pick out due to its sharpness. The Kentucky seems the lightest in the mix. It's noticeable but not as prominent as the Virginia and the Perique.

The nicotine is just a little more than medium, not 'strong' but it would probably be just enough for a nicotine smoker.

I can't identify any extra flavours. The taste is a natural tobacco one throughout a bowl full.

Oh my Oh my!!!!! I have to agree with Briar Rabbit. This is exceptional. If you like Va/Perique blends this one is unbelievable. I just recieved my 1st tin today and I had to write this review. The Virginia is lovely but the medley of it all with the quite noticeable peppery flavor is something I really enjoy quite a bit. I have not experienced the pepperiness to this degree with any other tobacco before and I love it. After only 1 bowlful I cannot wait to try my 2nd. I am also about try Wessex Soveriegn for the 1st time, but I cannot imagine it being as good as this stuff. 5 stars. ===============update================== I have bee smoking this stuff everyday since getting it and it keeps getting better and I am certainly not getting bored with it. What a great blend. If you like Va/P blends give this one a try, you will not be disappointed. A medley of smooth and sweet virginia danish style with the added spice of perique.

Olsen's MY OWN BLEND series should stay just that: HIS own blend. The line has consistently produced overly flavored, unsophisticated trash for pipe tobacco.

That said, 111 is an exquisite VA flake and those of you who doubt Olsen because of the inferiority of this line should at least try 111. Unfortunately, it only comes in 100g tins and the 10-13 bucks might be excessive for a brand this unreliable. Ask your tobacconist if there's any in the back to try.

Anyone accustomed to Gawith Medium Virginia but want something stronger should enjoy 111. The addition of perique (and a good amount there is) mellows and sweetens the taste while adding a noticeable kick in strength.

And what's so astounding about it? NO BITE. Yes, unlike FORMER'S personal blend, 111 is biteless virginia which is a glorious feat unto itself.

This one's a winner. A delicate, decently balanced VA. Recommended for English lovers too.

One of the most popular of Olson's blends. And with good reason. It reminds me of a better version of Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake. The virginias are richer and less grassy, and not so youthful....and there is probably more dark Va in here too. And there is a tad more perique. The Kentucky is a soft kentucky with only a very slight smokey woody taste. The moisture level is perfect (as is the case with all olson blends). It is sold out of the danish pipe shop. At least mostly. The nic hit is a slight bit above mild. It burns cool and has a rich somewhat complex flavor. Deserves more recognition to be sure.

Here we're talking a flake that has it all. Have smoked quite some of this, especially in the beginning of the 2000s. A very complex flavour that can satisfy any VaPer friend. Needs a little airing, maybe 30min to 1 hour and then burns nice and cool to the end. Thick contemplative smoke. I rate it a bit on the strong side, because at the last third it packs quite a punch. The room note is ok, with the occasional wife murderous look across the room. For the reviewer before me, don't worry, they still make it;-). 3 stars from me, 4 stars belong to 499 in my agenda.

While I still prefer my VA/P blends to be a bit on the "natural" and "rough" side ala C+D and GLP - this is an excellent rendition of the ingredients. It is actually far more natural and "straight" tasting than even the Esoterica VA/P line. I don't think I'd smoke it all the time, but it carries a combination of sweet and spice (with just the right nuances of each) that could keep me coming back to it on occasion.

I decided to give this blend a try after hearing people in chat rooms talk about it and reading the positive reviews here. I was not dissapointed! I was so impressed with this blend that I emailed Peter stokkebye and let them know how impressed I was. I am normally not a fan of Stokkebye tobaccos as I have had many that are over flavored and very bitey. This flake was very smooth and round and was hard to get it to bite. The flavors ran deep and ranged from a nutty barleyish flavor to sweet and delicate. I did not detect any added flavoring although there may be as Stokkebye tobaccos are notorious for this. Although this tobacco has a fair nicotine content I did not consider it overwhelming. I highly recommend this to virginia flake lovers as well as to those who like burley and would like to try a good virginia flake.

Darn right this has taste! This is REAL GENUINE FLAKE TOBACCO!!!!! I'm tired of hearing that the Danish tobacco house's don't do it right. They have done it damn right with this blend I'll tell you here and now. Spicey blend with the Virginia and Perique teter-totering and balanced with great Kentucky Burley. Hardly any sweetner noticed. Good tobaco taste! I'll be purchasing a lot more of this. A wonderful tobacco that you really need to try. AAAAA+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm not a fan of Perique which makes me the bad guy already. I found the taste to be rather spicy and felt it overwhelmed the tobacco itself to the point I could not finish the GBD Natural Brandy Bowl and had to set it down.

A new shipment of Paul Olsen tobaccos into paylesspipes in New Orleans has just made my day/week/and month. Bring on the summer storms and I'll just puff smoke at 'em. This indeed is a good one from the beginning. This is a fine, straight, natural virginia flake. No scenting. Dry and steady burning. Needs a little care in initial lighting. It has a rich if not rugged (stepped up) taste, but due to the light room aroma can be smoked indoors.

There's a lot in the tin. Many stacks of sizable flakes piled up on each other. Black and gold streaks. Looks like a treasure chest. Easy to cut into squares to gravity feed, twist or push down, or rub out (I don't break this flake up much, for a slow burn).

The natural flavor is akin to a good straight va. flake, e.g., G&H Bright CR Flake, F&T Cut Virginia Plug, Connosseiur's Cavendish, Rattray's Hal 'O the Wind, but it's strength is heavier than most (still not as stout as some G&H flakes). But not sweet like Solani's virginia flake or quite as round as Reiner's Long Golden Flake. This extra step in body in #111 is due, I'm sure, to the added Kentucky burley. The virginia here alone may have been too much without coolness that both the perique (which I don't taste here) and burley bring to it. There is still a little tang to remind you of smoking a virgina leaf, but no bite. I would still recommend slow puffing.

If you're into flakes, this is a good rich one with no added flavors and that's shy of being extra stout. (Perique is background only so it shouldn't turn you off if you're not into it.) The burley does not erase or mute the virginia taste. Cut Virginia Plug may be a good starter, but this one carries you throught the rest of the day or evening, whether watching TV, walking the dog, hunting, golfing, etc. Highly recommended. I will buy more of this from Tim of paylesspipes.